Exclusive: Liverpool have prepared offer for ‘outstanding’ marksman after meeting with agent | OneFootball

Amid plenty of understandable attention on Alexander Isak, Liverpool are also actively pursuing another Premier League centre-forward as a Plan B to the Newcastle marksman.

On Tuesday, the ever-reliable David Ornstein reported for The Athletic that the Reds have made an official approach to the St James’ Park outfit, although a formal offer has yet to materialise for the £120m-valued striker.

Earlier this week, reports from France claimed that the Merseysiders have also made contact regarding a possible move for Jean-Philippe Mateta, and further details of that pursuit have now come to light.

Liverpool have prepared an offer for Mateta

According to sources close to Empire of the Kop, Liverpool officials met with the Crystal Palace striker and his agent in Paris recently, and the Premier League champions have prepared an offer in the region of €50m-€60m (£43.3m-£52m) for the Frenchman.

However, the Reds are set to have competition in the form of AC Milan and Manchester United, who both view him as a viable transfer option. The Rossoneri’s hopes could be boosted by the 28-year-old’s apparent interest in a move to Serie A.

The Eagles have been attempting to broker a new contract for their number 14 since December, with two years remaining on his current deal, but a lack of progress in negotiations has made a summer exit seem viable.

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Could Mateta could be a worthwile Isak alternative for Liverpool?

Isak is undoubtedly Liverpool’s primary centre-forward target, but if he proves to be unattainable, could Mateta be an alternative worth pursuing?

Jamie Carragher has lauded the Frenchman’s ‘outstanding’ finishing ability and believes that he’s capable of stepping up to a team at Champions League level (Sky Sports), and a return of 30 goals over the past two Premier League seasons illustrates an obvious aptitude for scoring in one of Europe’s foremost domestic leagues.

Having now lined up an offer for the 28-year-old, how likely is that prospective transfer to materialise?

Mark Brus, editor-in-chief with CaughtOffside, told Empire of the Kop: “Jean-Philippe Mateta has been linked as one of the names on Liverpool’s list of targets up front this summer, but my understanding is that nothing is advanced with that right now.

“It has previously been reported that Mateta could sign a new contract with Crystal Palace, despite mention of interest from the likes of Aston Villa and Marseille.”

Liverpool’s pursuit of Mateta seems like a case of Richard Hughes keeping his options open and having a fallback target in place if a move for Isak is a no-go, and it remains to be seen how the Eagles will respond to any offer which may be submitted.

If there’s discernible progress on that front over the next month, the meeting between the two clubs in the Community Shield on 10 August could yet have an intriguing subplot…